Red Berries & Green Leaves
by o.ForeverYoung.o
Summary: "Our eyes traveled up in unison, and the only thing that cut through the awkward silence that followed was Eric's pathetic attempt to control his laughter." – Dan, Blair, mistletoe…you know how it goes.


**A/N: **Hey everyone, so I love writing a Christmas inspired fic every year for whatever pairing I'm loving the most at that time. This year that pairing happens to be Dan and Blair...because well, who couldn't love them? I wrote a story similar to this one years ago for Michael and Sara from PB when I was like 15...So I hope that this one is at least somewhat of an improvement ;)

It's set Christmas time in season 4. So Dan and Blair have just started to become friends, but they haven't had their first kiss in 4x17 yet, and none of the Chuck/Louis/Baby drama has happened.

Please r/v and let me know what you think. Merry Christmas, and Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Red Berries &amp; Green Leaves<strong>

Mistletoe.

Even the romantic in me never quite understood why the people standing under it had to kiss. It just didn't make sense to me. It was just a stupid plant. What was even remotely romantic about it? The word '_mistletoe'_ itself I believe is related to the German word _'Mist'_ for '_dung'_ and "_Tang"_ for _'branch_' since mistletoe can be spread in the feces of birds moving from one tree to another. See? Disgusting right?

A stupid, disgusting plant that completely turned my world around less than an hour ago.

Let me explain. You see, my mother and Cyrus decided that at Lily's request we would be spending Christmas with the Humphrey-Van der Woodsen clan. Christmas carols were playing softly in the background, and people were all over the apartment, chatting, laughing, drinking, and basically having a grand old time.

Serena was off with…oh I don't know, whomever she was currently dating. Nate maybe, Ben? It doesn't matter. It's often too difficult to keep up with the many men of Serena Van der Wooden, and it's not pertinent to the story anyway. Vanessa Abrams was fighting with her mother. Lily was fighting with _her_ mother. Cyrus was stalking Rufus Humphrey around the apartment asking him why there was no menorah in sight. My mother was sitting down with Ann Archibald discussing the latest in UES gossip, and Chuck was probably suffocating somewhere under a pile of call girls.

I however found myself leaning against the wall, taking everything in. Everyone seemed to be off in his or her own little groups expect for myself and Dan.

Dan Humphrey. The bane of my existence, and more recently, as much as I hated to admit it…my friend.

He was sitting in the corner very sloppily in true Humphrey fashion. His tie was undone and top buttons unbuttoned on his shirt. He had messed up his hair, and it was sticking out in every direction now. I'd never admit it to a sole that some part of me actually found him _attractive_. He was watching everyone and smiling, his fingers tapping along to the Christmas song that was currently playing.

Of _course_ Humphrey would love Christmas.

I rolled my eyes and pushed myself off the wall and headed down the hall towards the bathroom. Once inside I washed my face and stayed in there for a few moments, not really in a rush to rejoin the festivities. Once I felt that I had killed enough time I left the bathroom and headed back down the hall. Once I reached the corner, Lily's exquisite '_Danaide' _sculpture caught my attention. I bent down to study the masterpiece more closely, when something, or more correctly, _someone_ ran straight into me on their way down the hall.

"Humphrey you clumsy buffoon!" I yelled at him. "You almost caused me to break Lily's '_Danaide'_. It's a Constantini Brancusi you know. I thought you of all people would know that. It's worth more than you will see in your lifetime…okay your lifetime times a hundred."

After regaining his composure, following so rudely running into me, he rolled his eyes. "Hhmm, I don't know…" he trailed off, eyeing the sculpture. "I still think Brancusi's later '_Bird in space'_ is the better work."

"You would." I tossed back, turning around so we were facing one another. "As I've already tried to get through your thick skull before though Humphrey, new isn't always better…on the contrary actually."

He stayed silent, but a smirk danced across his lips. That smirk that made me blind with rage, and yet I somehow found attractive at the same time. Rolling my eyes, I turned on my heals to continue on my way down the hall…

But I couldn't move.

I say this not in jest. It wasn't one of those "so lost in each other's eyes that they couldn't move, speak, and barely breathe" moments. No, that didn't come until later.

We literally could not move. Eric had appeared in the hall and was blocking the way out, much to my horror and his evident delight.

"I could hear you two arguing from out in the living room." The younger Van der Woodsen sibling said in amusement. "I thought I had better come and check that nobody was getting hurt…although it wouldn't be Christmas to us without some drama."

I offered Eric an annoyed smile. "Don't worry, I was just leaving anyway." I turned around and looked back at Dan. "I'm scared I might catch "poor taste" if I'm around Humphrey any longer."

Dan let out a small, appreciative laugh as I turned to push past Eric.

"Not so fast Blair." Eric grinned widely, preventing my exit.

"What? Why?" I exclaimed, getting myself ready to physically shove him out of the way.

Eric's giant grin just continued to grow as he pointed towards the ceiling, before looking back at Dan and I. Our eyes travelled up in unison, and the only thing that cut through the awkward silence that followed was Eric's pathetic attempt to control his laughter.

There, hanging from the ceiling audaciously, was a piece of mistletoe.

Hanging directly above Dan and I.

I could sense the overwhelming delight from Eric, and strangely enough, I could have sworn that I also sensed a tiny spec of delight on Dan's part.

Nobody said anything for a few tension filled moments.

"Ugh. No way!" I said finally. "I would rather kiss that homeless man who sleeps at the park and smells like fish."

"We don't need to know what you do in your spare time, Waldorf." Dan teased with his usual smart-aleck retort. His eyes were gleaming now.

Great. Just great. He was enjoying this just as much as Eric clearly was.

"Come on Blair." The younger male smiled mischievously. "You have to kiss him. I know that you're a stickler for tradition."

"A ridiculous tradition." I said rolling my eyes. A much as I hated to admit it though, Eric was right. I really was old-fashioned at heart, as was Dan, and as a result I liked to honor traditions…despite how silly they may be. And what I hated to admit even more was that there was a part of me that actually _wanted_ to kiss him. There was something about him standing there, looking all casual and teasing that I found irresistible.

"Oh, fine." I said finally with a theatrical sigh. "I suppose, if it shall get me away from you two, I shall have to kiss Humphrey." And without further ado, to the shock of Eric, Dan, and even myself, I leaned forward and kissed Dan Humphrey, with not the slightest bit of fuss, straight on the lips.

_Whoa. _

I pulled back a moment later, and that was the "so lost in each other's eyes that they couldn't move, speak, and barely breathe" moment that I spoke of before. What I saw in Dan's eyes frightened me, not only in its intensity, but its similarity to what I myself was feeling. Shock, happiness, embarrassment, and, though I hadn't thought Dan Humphrey, the arrogant peasant himself, could feel it, vulnerability.

And with that, I fled, pushing past a stunned, and equally amused Eric on my way through. I ignored Dan's calls after me and ran straight out into the living room amongst the rest of the party, where began our tale.

I couldn't help but smile and bring my fingers to my lips. Perhaps Dan Humphrey wasn't that bad after all. He certainly was a good kisser.

And maybe, just maybe…mistletoe wasn't that bad either.

_End. _


End file.
